Play to learn: Exploring the impact of fun english classes on the literacy skills of elementary learners
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Developing literacy skills at an early age is essential for the overall cognitive, social, and emotional growth of children, as it forms the foundation for their academic success and lifelong learning. Early exposure to literature enhances language development by expanding vocabulary, improving comprehension, and promoting critical thinking. This qualitative exploratory paper described different strategies that elementary teachers implement in fun English classes. This study examined the impacts of fun-based teaching strategies in developing the literacy skills of elementary students, focusing on how these strategies contributed to the development of key language competencies, specifically writing and speaking skills. Elementary teachers (n=12) were purposively sampled to be interviewed. Elementary teachers observed that fun English lessons significantly increased student engagement in both writing and speaking activities. Students were interactive, less fearful of making mistakes, and demonstrated greater enthusiasm and participation. Activities such as storytelling, roleplaying, and creative writing encouraged students to express themselves more freely and confidently. Teachers observed improvements in sentence construction, use of vocabulary, and overall expressiveness, particularly among shy students who became more comfortable speaking in front of others. The study also identified three specific strategies—gamification, group work, and roleplaying—that were effective in enhancing literacy. Teachers used games to build vocabulary and grammar skills, group activities to encourage brainstorming and discussion, and role-playing to promote speaking and creative writing. These strategies created a dynamic learning environment that supported both language learning and personal development. Consequently, teachers are encouraged to embrace dynamic and student-centered approaches to create an engaging English learning environment. Fun-based learning strategies should be intentionally designed to support both receptive and productive language skills, providing students with opportunities to practice English in context.
Author: Mary Joy B. Gelizon
Institution: Biliran Province State University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4404864782